Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 74 : A Wicked Scheme (2)

Chapter 74: Chapter 74 : A Wicked Scheme (2)

Soft zither music accompanied Shen Jingwei as he glided effortlessly across the stage, as light as a feather. From his aerial vantage point, the spectators below were mere specks, their lanterns twinkling like distant stars. With a graceful flip of his sword, he embarked on a mesmerizing aerial dance.

Unlike traditional dances that often celebrate feminine beauty, the sword dance is a showcase of masculine strength and agility. A skilled swordsman can manipulate his weapon with such precision that it seems like an extension of his own body.

Shen Jingwei had spent countless hours perfecting his choreography under the guidance of his dance instructor. Each toss of his sword, each acrobatic maneuver, was the result of a strenuous, meticulous training.

Creak.

Shen Jingwei furrowed his brows slightly when he heard the disconcerting sound.

What was that?

He bounced off the tip of a swirling wisp of dry ice beneath his feet, and then he heard it again.

Creak.

Shen Jingwei took a chance to glance upward several times.

He didn’t see it the first time, but he saw it after the third time.

By then, a certain spot of the metal wire already exhibited a hairline crack.

Shen Jingwei widened his eyes in shock when the gravity of the situation dawned on him.

He was already in the middle of a leap. Even if he wanted to stop, he could not.

As a result, the remaining intact part of the damaged wire snapped completely. Shen Jingwei’s body, now completely unbalanced, lurched sharply to the side. The other wire, already strained to its breaking point, protested with a high-pitched whine before finally snapping as well.

The air whipped around him, the tattered remnants of his robe fluttering wildly behind him. The sheer speed of his descent robbed him of breath, and his consciousness began to fade.

He faintly heard the collective gasps emanating from the pavilion seating areas before a pair of arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a warm embrace.

Shen Jingwei’s eyes fluttered open slightly.

"Yan... Renzhong?" He whispered.

"I am here," came the reply. "Don’t worry, you are safe."

Upon hearing the reassuring words, Shen Jingwei’s body went limp. His muscles relaxed as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He then slumped against Yan Renzhong’s shoulder and fainted.

When he regained consciousness again, he was already laid in a chamber, with Zhu Dongyi pressing a cold compress against his face frantically.

"Oh, my God, Little Shen, I was so scared! Thank God Yan Renzhong grabbed you in time before you hit the ground!"

"Don’t scare him," Shang Ruohai spoke up from the sidelines.

"We have a safety net beneath the dry ice. He wouldn’t die even if both wires failed him."

"I have used similar wires in all my action scenes for years without any major issues. You should properly investigate the cause," Yan Renzhong said.

"I will, I will," Shang Ruohai said. "Calm down, everyone."

"Shen Jingwei, can you continue?" Director Ma sounded anxious.

No wonder, because recreating the Winter Solstice night would take a lot of efforts, and most importantly, generate a lot of extra expenses.

"Yes," Shen Jingwei weakly said. "I can. Just give me some time to gather myself."

"I don’t think so," Shang Ruohai disagreed.

"Look, you don’t even need much acting to replicate Xie Jianyu’s emotions during this scene. Your pale countenance genuinely reflects his fright from almost falling to his death."

"..."

"..."

Shang Ruohai was not wrong. Still, people could not help but secretly condemn him for being heartless. He wouldn’t even let Shen Jingwei recover from the traumatic experience!

Shen Jingwei pressed a hand against his face.

"Right," he said. "Senior Shang is right. We can continue."

Director Ma was probably the happiest person in the room after hearing Shen Jingwei’s answer.

Zhu Dongyi helped Shen Jingwei into a sitting position.

"Do you want to drink a glass of water first, Little Shen?" He offered.

Shang Ruohai was faster than him. He thrust a glass of water in front of Shen Jingwei.

"Quick, drink. The faster we finish the shooting, the earlier we can rest."

Shen Jingwei took the glass of water and emptied it in a single gulp.

"Thank you," he said.

It took them half an hour to finish shooting the indoor scene. And then Yan Renzhong left to shoot the outdoor scene with Lang Yuxuan.

"Good job," Shang Ruohai praised Shen Jingwei with a smile. "Can you walk? Let’s go outside to enjoy the banquet."

"..."

He acted as if nothing happened. Shen Jingwei pressed a hand against his mouth.

"I don’t think so," he said. "I don’t feel too good. I would rather stay here and rest for a while."

"I will be here to accompany him!" Zhu Dongyi piped up. "Please head to the banquet venue, Mr. Shang!"

Shang Ruohai nodded in understanding. When he reached the doorway, he turned around slightly and said, "I trust that the two of you know not to breathe a word about this matter to anyone."

"Yes," Shen Jingwei and Zhu Dongyi confirmed in unison.

Shang Ruohai smiled.

"Good."

As soon as Shang Ruohai left the room, Zhu Dongyi sprang to his feet and peered out the window to make sure they were alone. Satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, he turned to Shen Jingwei and said, "Little Shen, rest assured. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. But you do understand why we need to keep quiet, right?"

Shen Jingwei nodded.

"I do."

Accidents happen on film sets, some preventable and some not. However, even minor incidents can cast a shadow over a project.

Stakeholders who want their film or drama to see the light of day would be wise to keep their mouths closed. Many projects have already been canceled due to seemingly insignificant issues.

BL dramas, in particular, are susceptible to various challenges, making them even more vulnerable to the negative effects of accidents and controversies.

Therefore, unless a fatality occurred, there was no reason to publicly address the issue.

"We should go out there," Shen Jingwei said after a while. "We wouldn’t want to attract too much attention through our absence."